Love: This Factory Fuel Injected 1964 Corvette Convertible.

This short story of mine has been many years in the making, and yesterday was a major unexpected turning point. You see, years ago I heard a rumor of a mid year Corvette (1963-67) sitting all apart in a garage.  I was told that this Corvette had entered the garage for a restoration around 1980 and never came back out again. Naturally when you hear about this sort of thing, you imagine that it could be the “holy grail” of car finds, but when reality enters the scene, you find a derelict shell of a 1970’s Yugo. Yeap, been there before.

Up until yesterday, this story consisted of me begging, then me pleading, and then sadness, followed by extended periods of time.  May 10th then arrived and as if by magic, I finally got just a tiny taste of what this car really was.  I opened the first image and stared at it in amazement.  Instead of the 1970’s Yugo shell that always sneaks up on me, I was staring at an absolutely beautiful Silver Blue 1964 Chevy Corvette Convertible with the L84 Fuel Injected 375 horsepower 327 engine.  Inside my head, my brain was screaming “Cannot Compute! System Malfunction! Meltdown Imminent”.  I slapped myself in the face, started breathing again, and welcomed back my surroundings.  The next two pictures were equally mesmerizing.  This was definitely a very, very special car.

Just how rare is this car you ask?  Well, let’s take a look at the production numbers for the minimal facts that we do know.

1964 Corvettes

Total Convertibles – 13,925 produced

Total with Silver Blue paint – 3,121 produced

Total L84 Fuel Injected 327’s – 1,325 produced

Now, we know that at the very “worst”, it is 1 of 1,325 built, which is crazy rare as is.  But how many of that total were in convertibles vs. coupes?  I would imagine that we can assume half? (Corvette gurus, feel free to jump in anytime.) Okay, so let’s say that the car is now about 1 of 650 convertibles with the L84 fuel injected 327 produced.  But wait, out of 22,205 Corvettes made in 1964, only about 14% were painted Silver Blue and that was included coupes and convertible. For the sake of fun, let’s just assume that the color was split evenly across both body types. We can then assume the car is about 1 of 300 built based on what we currently know.  Now, how many of those still exist?  Not all of them, that’s for sure.

Great, now where do we go from here? Well, I have been sworn to secrecy and I don’t have any more pictures or information.  My hope is that it will someday be finished because I would absolutely love to hear that this Silver Blue convertible is back on the road again.

*Special thanks to the “Top Secret Informant” for sharing these pictures with us.

Jeremy Nutt

Hi, I'm Jeremy.

12 thoughts to “Love: This Factory Fuel Injected 1964 Corvette Convertible.”

  1. I had always wanted a Corvette. When I bought the 64 it was my intent to drive it all the time. I thought it a bonus that it had 17,050 miles but did not consider the potential value of a low mile Corvette down the road. About 2 months after buying it I was stopped at an intersection and it died. When I attempted to start it, it turned over but would not fire. A friend happened by and towed me 7 miles to my home. He had a 4 x 4 Ford and he kept looking back and smiling. The problem was in the Fuel Injection. It took me about a year to locate a man who worked on FI units and almost that long to get it rebuilt and back on the car. While I was waiting to get the 64 going I spotted Black on Black 1980 Corvette in the Showroom of a local Chevy Dealer. It had a 4 speed, Polished Wheels, Good Year GT’s, Tinted Tops, Leather, everything I would have ordered. I made an offered. That was December 1979. I now had another Corvette to drive while I was waiting to get the 64 back on the road.
    In the spring of 1980 I started attending Corvette Shows, Swap Meets. I joined a Corvette Club I was Hooked. While attending a Show I fell in love with the looks of the 58-60 Corvette. Still waiting to get the Fuel Injection rebuilt I decided I would look for a 59 or 60. I looked at several 59 and 60’s and even some other early Corvettes. One day I was looking at Piston and Rudder (now part of Auto Trader) and came across a Frost Blue 1959 not far from where I lived. It was way over priced but I decided to take a look. It turned out to be all original everything except for a new black interior non original style. I drove it and it ran sweet. I made an offer, he declined. On they way home I thought to my self “what the heck are you doing you already have two Corvette’s”. About a month later I received a call from Sonny the man with the 59 and he said he was moving and wanted to know if my offer was still good. I thought it over for a second or two and said yes it was. So now I had a classic to drive when I wanted and a new one for everyday. When I got the 64 going again everyone was now saying don’t drive it, it is worth to much with the low milage. So I took it to parades and won a major Corvette Show in 1981. It’s been awhile since it’s been on the road but I keep it ready to roll at any time.

    1. Wow! Incredible story Bill! So do you still have all three Vette’s? They can definitely get addictive! Keep that fuel injected one someplace really safe so that the next generation of car enthusiasts can appreciate what an untouched original one looks like! They are only original once! 🙂

  2. In 1986 the powers to be at GM made a decision to build Corvette Convertibles again. When I got the news I went to my Local Chevy dealer and ordered a triple Black one with all the options and a 4spd. I sold my 1980 to a friend and waited for the new one. I did not know at the time but soon learned the Dealership was in financial trouble. Before my new Corvette arrived the owner left the state and the Dealership closed. Shortly after a friend called and offered me his 1962 Corvette. I had been trying to buy it from him for 6 years. We agreed on a price and the 62 filled the void left by the 80. I do still have the 1959, I redid the interior in original Frost Blue. My son drives the 62 every chance he gets. I have some others too. Once “Hooked” I just couldn’t help myself.

    1. Great stuff Bill! It sounds like you have quite a nice selection of vehicles, each with a fascinating story to tell. If you have more, I’ll keep reading them! 🙂

    1. Hi Bill, I feel like you definitely landed on the correct Blog. 🙂 Oddly enough, I also know a guy that bought a 1983 Hurst Olds new, but he was not a “car-guy”, and drove it as if it was nothing special. About 10 years ago, he offered it to me for $500 (needing much rust repair work), and due to my lack of space for an additional G-Body (or even a friends house to hide it at), I regretfully declined. Months later, I learned that he sent the whole thing to the local junkyard, shifters and all. My hope is that the guys at the junkyard realized how special it was and did something smart with it.

      That being said, I would love to hear more car-related stories.

      Also: If you are fellow fan of automotive tales, you may enjoy a couple of books: “the cobra in the barn” and “the hemi in the barn” by Tom Cotter. There is also “The fate of the sleeping beauties” (about Bugatti’s) which is incredible. All are filled with amazing automotive stories that will make you cringe, cry, and laugh. I can’t recommend them enough.

  3. I located a orginal FI Ice blue corvette I have not looked it over yet but it is suppose to be in factory Orginal condition with no restrotaion. Based on what information I have it may be one of only a few that have not been restored. I,m looking at a investment and thinking they want 80K for it I,m not ssure what the value is. Other than how much a person want it.. Any thoughts on price etc.. I have a 1962 now that is restored . thanks

  4. Larry
    It would have to be a very special 1964 Corvette to be worth $80K in my openion. It would need rarity, paper work, and a special history. Then it would need someone who is willing to step up and pay more for it. I would be very happy to get $80K for my original 18,200 mile 1964 Silver Blue Convertible 375 HP FI with both tops and knock off wheels.

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